bonobo

bo·no·bo
B3O1N1O1B3O1
UK/bəˈnəʊ̯ˌbəʊ̯/US/bəˈnoʊ̯ˌboʊ̯/UK, US/ˈbɒ.nəˌboʊ̯/

noun

A great ape, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

Similar
dwarf chimpanzeehippie chimppygmy chimpanzeePan paniscus
Less commonScrabble 10
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Meanings

nounbonobo (plural bonobos)

plural bonobos

  1. A great ape, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

    Synonyms: dwarf chimpanzee, hippie chimp, pygmy chimpanzee

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA great ape, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

Similar
dwarf chimpanzeehippie chimppygmy chimpanzee

More synonyms by meaning

nounsmall chimpanzee of swamp forests in Zaire; a threatened species

Similar
pygmy chimpanzeePan paniscus
Broader
chimpanzeechimpPan troglodytes
Also see
pygmy chimpanzee

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From Bolobo, a village on the Congo River where Europeans first made contact with the species. Bolobo is possibly imitative of the bubbling of the rapids at that section of the Congo.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 倭黑猩猩, 倭猩猩
  • 倭黑猩猩 (wōhēixīngxīng)pygmy chimpanzee
  • 倭猩猩 (wōxīngxīng)pygmy chimpanzee
Danish bonobo, dværgchimpanse
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
  • dværgchimpansepygmy chimpanzee
Dutch bonobo
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
Finnish kongonsimpanssi, bonobo
  • kongonsimpanssipygmy chimpanzee
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
French bonobo
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
German Bonobo, Zwergschimpanse
  • Bonobopygmy chimpanzee
  • Zwergschimpansepygmy chimpanzee
  • Bonobomännchenpygmy chimpanzee
  • Bonobo-Männchenpygmy chimpanzee
  • Bonoboweibchenpygmy chimpanzee
  • Bonobo-Weibchenpygmy chimpanzee
Hebrew בונובו
  • בונובו (bonóbo)pygmy chimpanzee
Hungarian bonobó
  • bonobópygmy chimpanzee
Japanese ボノボ
  • ボノボ (bonobo)pygmy chimpanzee
Korean 보노보
  • 보노보 (bonobo)pygmy chimpanzee
Polish bonobo, szympans bonobo
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
  • szympans bonobopygmy chimpanzee
  • szympans karłowatypygmy chimpanzee
Portuguese bonobo
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
Romanian bonobo, cimpanzeu pitic
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
  • cimpanzeu piticpygmy chimpanzee
Russian боно́бо
  • боно́бо (bonóbo)pygmy chimpanzee
Spanish bonobo
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
Swedish dvärgschimpans, bonobo
  • dvärgschimpanspygmy chimpanzee
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
Thai โบโนโบ
  • โบโนโบ (boo-noo-boo)pygmy chimpanzee
Turkish bonobo
  • bonobopygmy chimpanzee
Vietnamese tinh tinh lùn
  • tinh tinh lùnpygmy chimpanzee
Cite this entry
APA

bonobo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonobo

MLA

“bonobo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonobo. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bonobo,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonobo.

Source: bonobo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.